


First Name Basis

by snazzy_scarf



Series: Shiratorizawa Week 2020 [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Character Study, Firsts, Gen, Trans Goshiki Tsutomu, Trans Male Character, gender euphoria, just good happy times, the rest of the team are mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:00:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25046530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snazzy_scarf/pseuds/snazzy_scarf
Summary: Goshiki Tsutomu loved his name.
Series: Shiratorizawa Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807855
Comments: 9
Kudos: 119
Collections: Shiratorizawa Fanweek 2020





	First Name Basis

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the fifth installment of my Shiratorizawa Week works! Today's prompt was Firsts, which I took as first names! Trans Goshiki is a headcanon very near and dear to my heart, so I wanted to do a piece on it. It's short, but sweet, I hope you enjoy!   
> As always thanks to my beta Andy who sent me the eyes emoji when I shared this doc.

Goshiki Tsutomu loved his name.

He’d chosen it for himself when he was ten years old, and it had motivated him throughout the rest of his life. He’d always been a hard worker—his parents told him time and time again—and when he’d figured out that he was a boy he made sure to work hard on finding the best name for himself that he could. Tsutomu. It was only fitting.

He loved it when people said his name. It made him feel proud of himself, and pushed him to try his best in every situation possible. He heard it every day before he left for school, and every afternoon when he returned home. At first, it was only his parents who would call him by his name, and even though it hurt a bit when his teachers and classmates refused to do the same, just hearing his name from anyone made him overjoyed. 

As he grew older, more and more of his classmates and friends began to pick up his name, and he started to hear it more often. His teachers still hesitated when calling on him, but eventually began to accept worksheets and assignments with his name scribbled happily at the top. They would rather chastise him for his handwriting instead. But it was okay;he’d work hard on writing it neater next time. 

Introducing himself to new people proved to be one of the most nerve wracking, but rewarding experiences ever. 

He’d played recreational volleyball after school when he was younger, but the junior high he enrolled in offered a legitimate club that he could devote his time to. He signed up for the boy’s team, and was excited to be able to call it home. The team went down the line introducing themselves, and when it was his turn to step up, he felt genuinely nervous for the first time. He was consciously aware of how he compared to the other boys. He was on the taller side of the bunch, having hit a growth spurt around the end of sixth grade, but his voice hadn’t started to drop yet, and he had to keep himself from shaking as he spoke.

“My name’s Goshiki Tsutomu! I want to play wing spiker!” He yelled, voice coming out louder than he’d intended. His heart beat in his chest as he waited for a response.

“Nice to meet you, Tsutomu.” The team’s captain told him, giving him a smile. “Welcome to the team.” 

The other first years next to him went on with their introductions, but Tsutomu didn’t hear a word of it. The captain’s words echoed in his head and filled his heart with excitement. Up until then it had only been his parents and classmates who had said his name with such kindness, and hearing the word come from an upperclassman he looked up to was an entirely new feeling of happiness. A wide grin stretched across his face, and he didn’t care if it resulted in a few strange looks from his peers.

Goshiki Tsutomu loved his name, and he loved when people would say it.

Three years went by, and Tsutomu learned that there were certain drawbacks to seniority. Although he never would have imagined it when he was younger, and though his chest swelled with pride at his underclassmen referring to him as “senpai,” there was a part of it that he was disappointed in. His classmates and teachers had started to call him by his last name, and while he understood that it was meant to be a gesture of respect, he couldn’t help but miss the euphoric feeling he’d get when he’d hear his first name. 

The majority of his school knew his name by then—becoming the ace of his volleyball team had its perks—and there wasn’t much of a need to ever introduce himself again. He’d still be proud of himself when the younger players on his team would call for him, but pride was an entirely different feeling than the one he was longing for. As time went on, he started to forget what it felt like at all.

Until he joined the Shiratorizawa Volleyball Team.

Being a first year once again brought back the feeling of introductions at full force. He tried to calm himself down by going through what he would say over and over again, but it did little to help as he was surrounded by the elites of the team. The third years in his middle school had been kind and welcoming, and while he was sure they were trying to be as well, the third years at Shiratorizawa just came off as intimidating. He repeated his introduction in his head one more time, and when it was his turn to go he balled his fists at his side and stepped forward with as much confidence as he could.

“My name is Goshiki Tsutomu, and I’m going to become the ace!” He shouted, voice always as loud as ever. His words echoed through the gym, and the other first years beside him stared at him in shock. He looked directly at Ushijima and held his breath, his fists clenched tightly to keep his hands from shaking. 

“Okay. Good luck.” The captain told him. Tsutomu blinked in confusion and his composure fell. From beside Ushijima, another third year burst out into laughter.

“Well, we sure look forward to seeing that, Tsutomu!” He told him, and Tsutomu’s eyes widened in surprise. He didn’t say a word and stepped back into line, his fellow first years taking his reaction as dejection and patting him on the back, but Tsutomu was far, far from dejected. The third year—who he’d later learn was Tendou—had said his name with such ease and familiarity that it took him aback. His heart swelled and he felt a long missed warmth flow through his body as a smile found its way to his lips. He’d almost forgotten how happy it felt to be called by his name. He promised he wouldn’t let it down. He’d work as hard as he possibly could to earn his spot on the volleyball team.

Like it always had, his hard work paid off. He climbed his way to the top of the ladder, and quickly proved himself to be worthy of a spot on the starting lineup of the team. He was overjoyed by the opportunities in front of him, the chances to play in every game and remain on the court, and the chances to show Ushijima just how good of an ace he would become. 

And in addition, joining the starting lineup allowed him to grow closer with his teammates as well. 

As hard as he tried to appear strong and tough in front of his opponents, his teammates never fell for it once. They always teased him and treated him like the baby of the team, and while it frustrated him that he wouldn’t be taken seriously at times, he couldn’t say that he disliked the attention. Tendou and Semi practically coddled him, always giving him encouragement and compliments when they could. Reon was sure to work with him when he’d mess up, helping him work on improving his skills and cheering him up when Coach Washijou’s harsh criticisms would get into his head. 

The third years loved him, and with their attention Tsutomu started to hear his name a lot more often. He loved how much he’d hear it. Living on campus was daunting at first, but it became something he liked as it allowed him to be greeted by his teammates every morning. They’d all eat breakfast together in the cafeteria, and at least one of them would greet Tsutomu by calling out to him, leading to a great start to his day. He figured that when enough time went by he’d get used to the feeling of being called by his name, but while the intensity of it softened overtime, it never completely went away.

Of course, not every team member would refer to him as such. Shirabu rolled his eyes whenever the third years would fawn over him, and Kawanishi wasn’t much of a talker in the first place. He found that he didn’t mind it though, as Tendou’s constant stream of attention more than made up for it. When Ushijima wouldn’t refer to him in the same way as the rest of the third years did, Tsutomu tried not to take it personally. He knew that the two of them were rivals, and it would be a bit odd if Ushijima were to call him by his name, but Tsutomu still felt a little disheartened when he wouldn’t. However, the feeling went away when he overheard Ushijima refer to Tendou by his surname. If the two of them were best friends and he still didn’t use his first name, then Tsutomu knew he didn’t mean anything by it.

Tsutomu adored hearing his name called out by other people. It made him feel overjoyed and loved. He’d chosen it for himself when he was ten, and it’d never let him down since. It pushed him to try his best every day, and work as hard as he could. He loved it when his parents would use it to dote on him, when his teammates and friends would use it when talking with him, and when commentators would use it to revel over his plays in volleyball. Nothing could describe the euphoria he felt when he heard it, from the moment he’d first chosen it to years after then. 

Goshiki Tsutomu loved his name, and nothing would ever change that. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I put my heart into this one so I hope you enjoyed it!   
> Tomorrow's entry will be another fanart that I post on my twitter @ scarfsketch !


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